Only managed to read a few books this past week - had to finish up a big project so spent quite a few long days working on that.
Machiavellian - Bella Di Corte
I love a good mafia romance and this one is the best one I've read so far. This is the first book in the Gangsters of New York series and it follows Capo Macchiavello, a mafia boss, and Mariposa Flores (Mari), a girl down on her luck trying to survive. At first, the two are as opposite as they could be but when Capo offers Mari the deal of a literal lifetime - to be his wife - she agrees. What starts out as a business transaction slowly evolves into more and the two find out they have more in common than they originally knew. Capo knows Mari's secrets but as she finds out his, their relationship is threatened. I loved the mafia revenge plot so much and I loved how, as is the same with most mafia romance, it is the characters fighting together against the outside threat. I know mafia romances rely a bit too heavily on the whole 'I'm an alpha male and I take what I want' trope, and that is true here as well, but not as overly done as it can be a lot of the time. Capo has obviously earned the respect of the people he works with and he is calm and calculating - not some sort of alpha rage monster - in order to get what he wants. When they go visit his family in Italy, there are scenes where the mafia boss shell is stripped away and we can see Capo just as a man in love. I found Mari a little less engaging, but I loved her spunk and seeing her adjust from her life living on the street to being rich all of a sudden was super realistic.
Protecting What's Mine - Lucy Score
Hot hot hot! This book follows fire chief Lincoln (Linc) and EMT/family doctor Mackenzie (Mack). Mack is new to the small town and is on a mission to get her head on straight. She has a 6 month job placement at the local family practice in town and is content to just work on herself with no men interruptions. Linc, however, has other ideas. The two meet on the scene of a bad pileup on the highway as Linc is handing off a patient to her in the medevac helicopter. Later, at the hospital, witty banter and flirting ensue and the two become unlikely friends, especially after finding out they are next door neighbors. Linc has a reputation for being a fun time for the single ladies of the town but Mack isn't interested in getting tangled up in the sheets anytime soon. As their relationship grows, Mack starts letting Linc in on her past and she finds herself falling for him even though she told herself staying in this town was only temporary. I loved the portrayal of the small town in this book. When Mack arrives, she's so used to having to triage emergency patients that her bedside manner is lacking. She at first thinks that her coworkers are a little too involved in the patient's personal lives but they remind her that the town is like a big family and taking time to talk to patients about their personal lives can help with the medical side as well. Also, the way that news gets around whenever some big event happens was great. I loved how the two characters are so right for each other and the conflicts in the story only bring them closer together. I'd say this book falls into rom-com territory for me because it is light on the angst but there are some emotional scenes that had me tearing up as well.
The Guy on the Right - Kate Stewart
This is the first book in The Underdogs series and follows Theo and Laney. The two meet outside of a party at their college and they share a brutally honest talk about their relationships (or lack thereof) and their past. They decide to not trade information and let fate decide if they are meant to be friends. They, of course, run into each other again and strike up a friendship. Both characters outright admit to the reader that the other isn't their usual type and both are a bit trigger shy on relationships so they're okay just being friends. Their friendship is one of the best friendships I've read in a long time. They are there to support each other, call each other on their shit, they have fun, and they start breaking down their walls a bit. I loved Laney and she felt very realistic to me. Her friendship with Devin was also fantastic. The two have been friends since childhood and there's a scene where Theo and Chase (Devin's husband) are watching the girls bicker and Devin says they'll argue at each other all day but if anyone else goes after one of them, they'll draw blood. If that isn't the most accurate description of female friendship then I don't know what is. From what I've seen in my online circles, Theo is #BookBoyfriendGoals but to be honest, I didn't love him. He has a huge chip on his shoulder from his ex girlfriend and his playboy roommate. And I know everyone has baggage or scars or whatever, but my goodness when he breaks up with Laney because of a misunderstanding on his part and he pulls the "nice guys finish last" BS I almost DNF'd the book at 90%.
Rough Edge - Lauren Landish
This is the second book in the Tannen Boys series and follows oldest brother Brody and spit-fire mechanic Erica (Rix). I liked the first book in the series just fine, but this one was perfection! Brody and Rix meet by chance when Brody's work truck breaks down outside her shop. A close call with a wrench and some heated banter and both are hooked. But, of course, neither will admit it. Eventually, they get together and they start to break down walls and let each other in - something that neither is used to doing. I loved everything about this book. Seriously. Our two characters are two peas in a pod and their similarities are played against each other wonderfully. Both are heavily invested in their work, both have secrets they're keeping from their family, both keep a surprising amount of emotional distance between them and everyone else, and both have good family systems that care for them (sometimes to an obnoxious degree as only families can). I loved that the plot was pretty simple and down to Earth. It was just about these two loners finding their person in a world where they feel left out and misunderstood with a little bit of outside danger thrown in. I really appreciated that the main conflicts in the story were done in such a way that it brought the two characters closer together and they worked through it as a couple. I've really started to dislike heavy drama in romance books so this one where there was a slight overreaction but both characters apologized and explained their actions the next day to each other so there was no love lost. In other words, these adults didn't go off and pout for weeks like broody teenagers, they talked through their fight like adults and came out stronger on the other side.
America's Geekheart - Pippa Grant
This is the second book in the Bro Code series and follows Beck and Sarah. Beck is boy band member turned underwear model/fashion mogul and Sarah is a small environmentalist who is just living her life when Beck accidentally tweets a rude comment to her instead of messaging his sister. Sarah happens to be the next door neighbor to Beck's sister and when Beck comes over to apologize in person, he is intrigued at Sarah's immunity to his charms. In order to repair Beck's image, Sarah agrees to be his fake-girlfriend for a few weeks. Of course, during those few weeks feelings develop on both sides, secrets come out, and the rumor mill keeps pumping out new stories. I loved both Beck and Sarah separately which just made it all the more fun to root for them to get together. I loved Beck was just a fun, goofy, happy guy as opposed to a lot of the broody, grumpy, alpha males that are the heroes of a lot of books. I love a good grumpy alpha now and then, but Beck was so refreshing to read. I loved Sarah too. She was so down to earth and secure in her interests. She is into the environment, saving endangered animals, geeky TV shows (the Firefly TV show is the main geeky media), and the local baseball team via her best friend Mackenzie. I really appreciated how there was a lot of talk about the 'dark side' of fame/Hollywood/modeling and how detrimental those industries and careers can be to people's mental health.
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